Hi! If you know Hindi, you can easily understand our name. We are the Nilgai (Blue bull). We are distinguished by our bluish color body.
There is more to know about us. Have a look:
- Do you know? We are the largest antelopes in Asia, and we are often compared to cows rather than other deer or antelopes because of our size.
- Unlike other deer, we have small horns. One can say we would look like an animal that is in between a cow and a deer.
- We are first described by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1766.
- We are very sacred in Hindu culture since the Vedic period (1500-500 BC). We are also depicted in various miniatures during the Mughal era in India (16th to 19th century). During this Mughal era, we were known as Nilghor.
- There are pieces of evidence proving that we were once domesticated by humans, about 6500 BC, and also in Indus valley civilization.
- Do you know? Tribes like Bhishnoi found in Rajasthan take care of us and feed us even today.
- Though we are sacred we are considered as a nuisance animal in many states of India and few farmers even went as far as a hunger strike to make the government of India identify us as vermin.
SOME QUICK NOTES:
Our Scientific Name: Boselaphus Tragocamelus.
Our Identification: Big deer-like species with bluish body.
Our Habitat: small bushes, trees separated by some distances, plaid which is grassy, agricultural lands, and also scrubs forests.
Our Range:
Our Food Habits: Herbivorous; feed on various types of grasses, herbs and also woody plants.
Our Breeding Period: Any time of the year.
Number of calves born: 1
Our Gestation period: 8-9 months
Our Lifespan: average 10 years.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
CITES: Appendix III
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule III
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Genus: Boselaphus
Species: B. tragocamelus
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
Nilgai are called Blue Bulls because of our blue color. They are scientifically called as Boselaphus Tragocamelus.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are big antelopes and sexually dimorphic which means males are different than females. The males are dark blue in color with thin legs.
The males also have a short mane, white spots on face, ears, cheeks, lips and chin, a tufted tail, and a deep neck with a white patch on the throat.
Males are the only ones to have horns which are 15cm-24cm long, smooth, straight and point either forwards or backward. The females are smaller and lighter than the male with the orange coat, white tail, and absence of horns. The young look similar to the female.
We are 1m-1.5m tall with a body length of 1.7m-2.1m. Males weigh 109kg-288kg and females weigh 100kg-213kg.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We prefer living in areas where there are small bushes, trees separated by some distances, plaid which is grassy and also scrubs forests. We are also found in agricultural lands.
We have our range in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. In Bangladesh, we are extinct.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are herbivores like any other deer/antelope species. We prefer eating various types of grasses, herbs and also woody plants.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are polygamous species and territorial. The males become aggressive and fight amongst each other for dominance. Mating can occur at any time of the year and the female gives birth to a single calf or two. The gestation period is 8-9 months.
The newly born calf would stand on its four legs in 40 minutes after they are born, and they start eating grass and other plants after 4 weeks. The calf leaves its mother after 10 months it is born.
The average lifespan of our species is 10 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are the largest antelopes in Asia.
Our thick skin and neck protect us in fights, but the coat is not insulated good enough to survive extreme cold.
We have many carnivorous predators like Tiger, Lion, Dhole, Wolf, Leopard, and also Striped Hyena.
We fight with each other for dominance and these fights are characterized by displaying our enlarged chest and also running towards the enemy with horns pointed towards the enemy.
OUR CONSERVATION:
We are quite abundantly available in our range and as of 2001, our population is over 10,00,000. We are categorized as “least concern” in the red list of IUCN and listed in CITES Appendix III.
We are also protected under schedule III of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The extinction in Bangladesh is due to extreme hunting.
